So, he's been moderately excited to see it. My brother Bronson was also a raving Transformers fan in his youth, so he promised Lear that they and Cory would see it opening night. Lear was reeeeeaaaaaallly looking forward to it. The night before it came out, a friend who had advance tickets texted me to tell me that it was very scary, and probably not ideal for a five year-old to see.
(Here, I need to explain something. Lear is a timid movie-goer. He's terrified of Sleeping Beauty. He refused to finish watching The Little Mermaid after Ursula's first appearance. Spider Man caused him to run out of our living room screaming, after which he hid behind his bed. We have to ambush him to take him to any movies, and we only go to very kid-friendly movies like Up. Which he thought was scary. Transformers 1, however, he loved. Go figure.)
Anyway, we talked about it. We definitely don't want him to see anything scary or bad, but we had already promised him that Cory would take him to see it. My brother Barton, who was visiting, pointed out that Lear may not remember the movie when he's older, but he will definitely remember that we broke a promise that was important to him. We think it's important for Lear to know that he can count on us, so Cory took him to the movie. (Mental note: don't make promises that you'll regret later!)
Lear spent the whole day trembling with excitement. I think he was more thrilled to see Cory come home from work than I've ever seen him. He left our house chanting "I'm going to see Transformers!" over and over. This mood didn't last. Cory said that Lear spent most of the movie clutching Cory's arm desperately, and sometimes with his face buried in his arm, too. Cory offered to take Lear home several times, but Lear refused, and toughed it out. When they got home, he ate the Happy Meal that Cory picked up for him because he looked "shell-shocked" quietly, with a zombified look on his face. (Side note: I suggested that Cory take him to Burger King, where they have Transformers toys, and Cory said that he thought it wouldn't be a good idea, under the circumstances.) After a little time, he felt more like himself again, and we sent him to bed. Oddly enough, he didn't have any nightmares.
Now, we and Lear have an agreement: Daddy will preview all movies, and then decide if it's too scary for Lear to see. Lear was the one who suggested it. I wish it didn't take a bad experience for all of us to come to this conclusion, but we're not perfect parents, and we're definitely still learning. At least we kept out promise.
P.S. He still loves Transformers - just the toys and cartoons, though.
Lear quote: "Oh, snap!"
Ella quote: "Ella to the rescue!"
4 comments:
That is so funny/sad. He is such a smart kid! The fact that he came up with, the Daddy should preview the movie thing before I see it, is crazy! He is so beyond his years!
He really was a trooper. I think that maybe if he saw it in a less noisy place on a smaller screen it would perhaps have been better. It was really cute to see his reaction to the entrance of Bumblebee and Optimus Prime though.
I disagree. You are great parents - because you were able to walk him through a decision you knew would not be good for him - BUT YOU ALLOWED HIM TO USE HIS AGENCY then you were there to pick up the pieces and resolve the issues. Plus you helped Lear see that he does have power to choose for himslef AND he has power to heed counsel if he so chooses!
Perfect Parenting from our Father in Heavens perspective . . . in my opinion.
When I saw Lear and asked how he liked the movie....he quietly said "Not too much!!" It is fun to see his imagination take flight as he builds and changes his transformers. And his ideas of what he would design are priceless. And ditto to all the above comments.
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